The Swedish Social Insurance (Socialförsäkringen)

If you live or work in Sweden you are covered by the Swedish Social Insurance. This means that you pay a reduced fee on the same terms as Swedish citizens when you visit the doctor/hospital. It also means that you may be entitled to various benefits from the state. Whether or not you are entitled to this insurance depends on how long you will be staying in Sweden and where you come from.

If you are permitted to stay more than 12 months

Right after your arrival, visit the local tax office to get a Swedish personal number. Then you will also be registered in the Swedish population register (folkbokföring).

While waiting for your personal number, you are however insured via the Swedish State Group Insurance and Personal Insurance (Grupp- och individförsäkring, called GIF) through the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency (Kammarkollegiet). The GIF insurance covers such as accident, health and dental care, home transport, property, liability and legal protection, but only in emergency situations. The insurance is valid 24 hours inside the entire Schengen area. You can find the complete terms of the GIF insurance on the Kammarkollegiet web site.

When you receive your Swedish personal number, you can be registered with the Swedish Social Insurance agency (Försäkringskassan).

If you already have a Swedish personal number and have worked outside Sweden for more than the last 12 months, you need to reregister with Försäkringskassan in order to claim your benefits and allowances.

Employment-based insurance/benefits (insurances paid by your employer)

If you work and pay your taxes in Sweden, you are entitled to by employment-based benefits, which include sickness benefit (sjukpenning) and other benefits. This applies to you only if your stay in Sweden is longer than a year.

If you are permitted to stay less than 12 months

If you are granted a permit for less than 12 months, or will be in Sweden for less than a year, you cannot be registered at Försäkringskassan, and thus not eligible for social security benefits.

EU-citizens staying shorter than a year can register with Försäkringskassan only if the previous/latest country of residence is an EU member state.

It takes some time to be registered and have the insurance in place. It is therefore important that all EU citizens travelling to Sweden bring their current EU Health Card. The card has to be valid for the first year the person is in Sweden.

Household Insurance

We also recommend scholarship holders to have a household insurance (hemförsäkring). You sign up for this via an insurance company of your choice. The major Swedish insurance companies are the following:

• Folksam
• If
• Länsförsäkringar
• Trygg-Hansa (information only in Swedish)

Personal and Life Insurance

There are a lot of different Swedish insurance companies that can offer you insurance policies. In addition to the state social insurance system, you may also want a private life insurance.